z Available online at http://www.journalcra.com INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CURRENT RESEARCH International Journal of Current Research Vol. 9, Issue, 03, pp.47795-47799, March, 2017 ISSN: 0975-833X REVIEW ARTICLE PROCESSING AND APPLICATION OF LIGNO-CELLULOSIC FIBRES *,1Archana Jain, 2Deepali Rastogi, 3Bhawana Chanana and 4Parmar, M. S. 1Research Scholar, Department of Fabric & Apparel Science, Lady Irwin College, Delhi University, India 2Associate Professor, Department of Fabric & Apparel Science, Lady Irwin College, Delhi University, India 3Professor and Head, Amity School of Fashion Design and Technology, Mumbai 4Professor & Joint Director, Northern India Textile Research Association (NITRA) Ghaziabad, India ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article History: There is an urgent need for increase in land allocation to food crops due to rising population, Received 09th December, 2016 especially in developing countries and on the other hand, cotton availability and its per capita Received in revised form availability is getting reduced due to which alternative fibre sources need to be identified and 04th January, 2017 appropriate technologies developed for their conversion into useful textile products. Ligno-cellulosic Accepted 24th February, 2017 fibres are one such alternative but their extraction is a tedious task which may vary as per the intended Published online 31st March, 2017 use of the fibres extracted. The present paper summarizes the extraction process of ligno-cellulosic fibres according to their end use and also briefs about their possible applications in textiles. Key words: Bast and leaf fibres, Retting, Enzymatic retting, Chemical composition, Physical properties. Copyright©2017, Archana Jain et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Citation: Archana Jain, Deepali Rastogi, Bhawana Chanana and Parmar, M. S. 2017. “Processing and application of Ligno-cellulosic Fibres”, International Journal of Current Research, 9, (03), 47795-47799. INTRODUCTION (CO2) fixation should be preferred due to ecological grounds. The benefit of such sustainable resources is that they can be re- There is an increase in worldwide demand of man’s basic grown within the foreseeable future, without having any needs for food and fibre according to the growing population. negative side-effects on global bio-diversity in the long term At the same time, communities are striving to achieve (Van, 2008). Natural plant fibres are the renewable fibres taken sustainable management of natural resources. Agriculturists from different parts of the plant like bast, leaf, seed, fruit and need to strike a balance between the demand for increased husk. Geometrical dimensions of plant fibres, especially the output of agricultural products and sustainability. To make this length is dependent mainly on location of fibres in the plant. possible, it is mandatory for farming industries to measure and For example, fibres from fruits and seeds are few centimetres understand their current sustainability trends and adapt long while those from stems or leaves are much longer (Smole, practices as required for the same (www.cottoncrc.org.au). Hribernik, Kleinschek & Kreze, 2013). Common bast fibres Keeping in pace with these growing demands and giving include flax, jute, hemp, ramie and kenaf; leaf fibres are consumers access to their fibres of choice, the textile industry obtained from banana, pineapple and sisal etc. whereas cotton will have to take an initiative to develop a new, sustainable is the most important fibre obtained from seed and coir is path for clothing the world and ending the cycle of extracted from fruit husk i.e. coconut. Bast fibres form an environmental harm. The major aim should be production of important category as most of the cellulosic fibres other than fibre from wood or non-wood based biomass to replace both cotton belong to this group. Flax fibres hold the distinction of cotton and polyester production, which burdens the being used in first place by human beings for clothing. Table 1 environment, and consumes oil resulting in depletion of natural gives a view of the chemical composition of various ligno- resources. It requires a fundamental change in attitude for cellulosic fibres. The structure, micro fibrillar angle, cell developing a sustainable global economy, which permits dimensions, defects, and the chemical composition of fibres improved purchasing power and living standards without are the most important variables that determine the overall exhaustion of natural resources for future generations. The properties of the fibres. Generally, tensile strength and products that are based on photosynthetic carbon dioxide Young’s modulus of fibres increase with increasing cellulose content. The micro fibrillar angle determines the stiffness of *Corresponding author: Archana Jain, the fibres. Plant fibres are more ductile if the micro fibrils have Research Scholar, Department of Fabric & Apparel Science, Lady Irwin College, Delhi University, India. 47796 Archana Jain et al. Processing and application of Ligno-cellulosic Fibres a spiral orientation to the fibre axis. If the micro fibrils are natural decomposition or fermentation (Cook, 1993). It uses oriented parallel to the fibre axis, the fibres will be rigid, the action of bacteria and moisture on plants to dissolve or inflexible, and have high tensile strength (John & Anandjiwala, decompose most of the cellular tissues and gummy substances 2008). It is this lignin/hemicelluloses matrix which provides which surround bast-fibre bundles, resulting in separation of nature's protection against microbial invasion. It also renders the fibres from the stem. These strands are often used the material water resistant and inaccessible to chemical commercially without separating the individual fibres one from reagents (www.patentstorm.us). another. The fibres are extracted from the stalks by retting in Table 1. Chemical composition of ligno-cellulosic fibres Constituent (%) Fibre Cellulose Hemicelluloses Lignin Pectin Wax Moisture Content Jute1 64.4 12.0 11.8 0.2 0.5 10 Flax1 64.1 16.7 2.0 1.8 1.5 10 Hemp1 67.0 16.1 3.3 0.8 0.7 10 Ramie1 68.6 13.1 0.6 1.9 0.3 10 2 Kenaf 63.5±0.5 17.6±1.4 12.7±1.5 - Sisal1 65.8 12.0 9.9 0.8 0.3 10 Nettle3 54 10 9.4 4.1 4.2 Banana4 61.5 20.3 15 5 PALF 69.5 17.8 4.4 1.1 3.3 6 Coir 45.84 0.25 43.44 3.3 - 7 Natural Bamboo 73.83 12.49 10.15 0.37 1. Lewin, 1985; 2. Jonoobi et al, 2009; 3.Franck, 2005; 4.Marella et al; 5.Banik et al, 2011; 6. Paul et al, 2011; 7. Yu et al., 2010 Processing of Ligno-cellulosic Fibres anyone of the two ways; either (i) biological/natural retting, in which bacteria (water retting) or fungi (dew retting) are acting One of the major limitations in using bast fibres is the process on the substrate; or (ii) chemical retting or degumming, in of separating fibres from the outer stems. In order to use the which dilute acids or bases are the acting ingredients. Natural bast fibres in textile applications, the fibres need to be retting is a biological phenomenon in which pectin substances separated from rest of the stalk using a microbial process, in the soft cells are dissolved by means of microorganisms, retting, which leads to breakage of the chemical bonds between which make the fibre bundles free and cause separation of the the bast fibres and the woody core (Stanhope, 2012). fibre bundles from woody core. Lignin present in the fibre Harvesting and fibre processing differ depending on the bundles resists the action of microorganisms. During retting intended end use of the crop (Figure 1). the microorganisms feed on pectin substances, proteins, sugars, starch, fats and waxes, tannin and minerals substances like Harvesting calcium, magnesium etc (Lewin, 1985). The crop is harvested according to the use for which it is Dew/field retting grown. When crop is grown for fibre it needs to be harvested at a time when the fibre is of high quality. After harvesting,fibres Dew retting is carried out in the spring, under conditions of are extracted from the crop which involves a series of moderate humidity, warmth and freedom from wind (Lewin, processes like retting, decortication, scutching and 1985). The crop is either pulled up or cut by specialized cleaning/washing; varying from fibre to fibre. equipment that lays the plants in rows and then leaves them in the field to rot. Farmers need to monitor this type of retting process so that the fibres separate without getting damaged due to over-retting (www.globalhemp.com). The process takes approximately 3-7 weeks, depending upon the fungi and bacteria present in the soil and on weather conditions (Lewin, 1985). Dew-retting can cause lots of variation in the mechanical properties of the fibres. This happens because biological bacteriological changes of the material are difficult to be kept under constant control. Although weather conditions affect the quality of the fibre obtained (moisture is needed for rotting, but dryness is a must for baling of the stalks), this process is used most abundantly because of its low cost and low requirement of water (Stanhope, 2012). Water retting Water retting produces more uniform and higher quality fibre, Figure 1. Processing of ligno-cellulosic fibres but the process is not environmentally friendly and requires more time and labour than dew retting. This process involves Retting submerging the crop into water and regularly monitoring the The most challenging process in extraction of long bast fibres separation process. Large volumes of clean water are required from plants is retting. Retting causes release of bast fibres for water retting, which should be treated before discharging in strands from the cellular and woody tissue of the stem by its lakes, streams, and ground water because it causes pollution 47797 International Journal of Current Research, Vol.